Arthur neal kerb



A. N. KERR. APPARATUS FOR RECLAIMING LIGHT CASING HEAD GASOLENEQ APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5,1918.

1,371,427. Patenwd Mar. 15,1921.

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Gasol ne Sta/aye 72mlk WITNESSE INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR NEAL KERR, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO TRANSCONTI NENTAL OIL COMPANY.

APPARATUS FOR RECLAIMING LIGHT CASING-HEAD GASOLENE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR NEAL KERR a resident of Pittsbur h, in the county of Allegheny and State 0% Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Reclaiming Light Casing- Head Gasolene, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for reclaiming light casing head gasolene in warm weather and storing the same for use during cold weather. The object of the invention is to provide a simple apparatus for reclaiming the tops or high volatile ends of easing head gasolene which otherwise would be wasted during warm weather, and conserving them for use during cold weather.

A certain amount of natural gas, coming from natural gas wells, as Well as from gas-yielding oil wells, is liquefied by compression and cooling or otherwise and forms a light gasolene capable of industrial use. This gasolene, however, is highly volatile, and, if transported or handled in hot weather, vaporizes to a very considerable degree so that a large percentage is lost. During cold weather, however, these light gasolenes can be transported and handled without excessive loss. According to ordi nary methods of handling casing head gasolenes and other light tops and blends, there has been a very large loss in warm weather. Furthermore, the transportation of these light gasolenes in ordinary tank cars in summer weather is dangerous, due to its highly volatile character.

The object of the present invention is to conserve these light gasolenes during warm weather, and to store them Without material loss until cold weather when they can be transported and handled without excessive waste.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of one arrangement of apparatus involving the invention; and Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the storage tank or reservoir.

In the following description of the invention, and in the claims, the term casing head gasolene is used in its broad popular sense as designating gasolene recovered from all grades of natural gas, whether the gas comes from the casing head of an oil Well or from a-well producing only gas.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

Application flied September 5, 1918. Serial No. 252,766.

It is well known that such gasolene is recovered from natural gas both by compression and cooling and by absorption processes.

In carrying out the process the casing head gasolene line 1 comes from the field to suitable storage tanks 2 at the conserving plant, or put into tank cars 3. The tops or volatile constituents of the gasolene naturally vaporize, forming a gas, and are taken from the storage tanks or tank cars through a line'3 to a suitable gasometer 4, which controls and regulates the flow of the gas to the other apparatus. This gasometer, through a lever 5 fulcrumed at 6, controls a regulating ,alve 7 which controls the flow of gas to the compressor, said regulating valve being so arranged as to close the line to the compressor when there is substantially no gas in 7 the gasometer. From the regulating valve the line 8 leads to a suitable compressor, shown diagrammatically at 9, which compresses the gas and discharges it through pipe 10 through a suitable cooling coil 11, whence the liquid passes through pipe 12 to an accumulator tank 13 in which the liquid falls to the bottom, while the light uncompressible gases escape through a safety valve 14 in its top. These Waste gases can be utilized in the engine 15 which drives the compressor 9, or may be used for any other purpose. The liquid gasolene is forced from the bottom of the accumulator 13, by the action of the compressor 9, through a regulating trap 16 which is so arranged as to automatically close the outlet pipe 17 from the accumulator when no liquid is present. From this trap the pipe 17 leads into the storage tank 20 and is distributed uniformly therein by having the outlet in the bottom of the storage tank in the form of a perforated pipe or pipes 21, so that the gasolene is distributed throughout the area of the storage tank, underneath the level of the liquid therein so that any uncompressed gases, or gases which tend to separate from the gasolene, will be absorbed in the liquid in said storage tank.

This storage tank is specially constructed so as to effectively insulate the interior during summer weather, so as to prevent any material volatilization of the gasolene therein. As shown, it comprises an inner closed 11 steel tank or shell 23 supported upon a concrete foundation 24 but insulated therefrom by a layer or layers of sheet cork 25. This tank is inclosed in an exterior wall 26 constructed preferably of hollow tile and suitably banded to give it strength, with a wide space between said tlle wall and the tank which is filled with suitable granular insulating material such as ground cork 27. This layer of ground cork is continued over the top of the tank, completely covering the same, and above this is any suitable roof, 28, which is supported centrally of the tank by the internal column 29. Connected to the top of the tank is a vent pipe 30 which is provided with several branches, one of which is provided with a safety valve 31 to release excess pressure, another one of which is provided with a vacuum valve 32 to automatically reduce the vacuum within the tank if for any reason an excess vacuum should form therein, while a third branch 33 leads back to the gasometer, 4, so that any vapors which are formed within the tank, unless they create excessive pressure, are not wasted through the safety valve, but go back to the gasometer and from thence back to the compressor and back to the storage tank.

This storage tank has been found to effectively insulate the gasolene within the tank during summer weather and to conserve the same, with very little wastage, until cold weather.

In the operation of the apparatus the gasolene vapors are compressed, cooled, and then conducted to and stored in the storage tank, the apparatus being so arranged that it operates sufliciently automatically to regulate the flow of gas from the gasometer to the compressor and prevent the compressor from exerting a suction on the gasometer, and also to automatically control the flow through the pipe from the accumulator or separator 13 to the storage tank. Any gasolene which is vaporized in the storage tank is returned to the system, recompressed and returned to the storage tank, so that material loss is avoided.

In order to maintain in the storage tank the necessary low temperature, to prevent excessive volatilization of the gasolene stored therein, as may occur during very prolonged hot spells, I provide suitable apparatus for cooling the same by the expansion action of the gasolene itself. To this end an expansion coil 35, such for instance as used in refrigerating apparatus, is placed in the bottom of the tank and is connected at one end to the pipe 17, just outside of the tank, and at its opposite end to a suction tank 36 which is connected to the line leading to the compressor 9. Suitable cut-off valves 37 and 38 are placed in the pipe 17 and in the branch going to the expansion coil so that by closing the valve 37 and opening the valve. 38, the gasolene coming from the accumulater passes into the expansion coil, is therein automatically expanded in the well known manner of refrigerating processes, thus cooling the liquid in the tank, and returns through the suction tank 36 to the compressor and is again compressed and returned to the circulation. This auxiliary cooling arrangement may or ma y not be used. It is so connected to the circulating system that it can be readily placed in circulation in case the temperature within the tank should become too high, and can be as readily cut oil'. During protracted hot spells it may be desirable to operate this auxiliary cooling device at intervals. The auxiliary cooling device is principally to reduce the temperature in the tank below the boiling point of the contents, so that machines may he stopped for repair and rest.

The system illustrated and described uti.

lizes the larger percentage of the volatile gases from casing head gas'olene and other tops or like ends which now are almost completely lost during warm weather, compresses and cools the same, and effectively stores the same without material loss, until cold weather, when this light gasolene can be withdrawn from the storage tank and blended, transported, and blended and used in the ordinary way.

No claims are made to the process disclosed herein, such process being the subject matter of my divisional application Serial No. 312,890, filed July 24, 1919.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for reclaiming light vaporized natural-gas gasolene, comprising in combination, a compressing and cooling apparatus for liquefying such vaporized gasolene, a heat insulated storage tank receiving the liquid gasolene from the compressor, and a return line from the top of said tank to said compressor, said line including a pressure regulator.

2. Apparatus for reclaiming light vaporized natural-gas gasolene, comprising in combination, a storage tank for natural-gas gasolene, a compressing and cooling apparatus for liquefying gasolene vapors formed in said tank, a line leading from the top of said tank to said compressor and including a pressure regulator, a heat insulated storage reservoir receiving the liquid from said compressor, and a pressure-regulated return line leading from the top of said reservoir to said compressor.

3. Apparatus for reclaiming light casing head gasolene in warm weather, comprising in combination, a gasometer for receiving and regulating the flow of the vaporized gasolene, compressing and cooling apparatus for liquefying the vaporized gasolene, a heat insulated storage tank, receiving the liquid from the compressor, and a return line from the top of said reservoir to the gasometer.

4:. Apparatus for reclaiming light casing head gasolene in warm weather, comprising in combination, a. gasometer for receiving and regulating the flow of the 'aporized gasolene. compressing and cooling apparatus receiving the "aporized gasolene from said gasometer and serving to liquctv the same. a separator receiving the liquid from the compressor and serving to separate the light uncompressed gases from the liquid, a heat insulated storage reservoir for the liquid connected to said separator, and a return line from the top of said reservoir for returning the vapors formed therein to the gasometer.

5. Apparatus for reclaiming light casing head gasolene in warm weather. comprising in combination. a. gasometcr for receiving and regulating the How of the vaporized gasolene, compressing and cooling apparatus for liquefying the vaporized gasolene, aheat insulated storage tank receiving the liquid from the conq'iressor. a return line from the top of said reservoir to thc gasometcr. and a safety valve and a vacuum valve connected to the top of said reservoir.

6. Apparatus for reclaiming light casing head gasolene in warm weather. comprising in combination compressing and cooling appa ratus for liquefying the. gasolene vapors, a heat insulated storage reservoir, aperforated pipe in the bottom of said reservoir for distributing the incoming liquid therein underneath the surface of the liquid. and a return line from the top of said reservoir for returning vapors formed therein to the compressor.

7. Apparatus for reclaiming light casing head gasolene in warm weather. comprising in combination, compressing and cooling apparatus for liquefying the gasolene vapors. a heat insulated storage reservoir receiving the liquid from said compressor, an expansion coil associated with said reservoir, and connections from the compressor to said expansion coil and back to the compressor whereby parts of said liquid are expanded to cool said reservoir.

8. r-\ppara.tus for reclaiming light casing head gasolene in warm weather, comprising in combination. compressing and cooling apparatus for liquefying the gasolene vapors. a heat insulated storage reservoir for the liquid connected to the outlet of said compressor. an expansion coil associated with said reservoir. valve controlled connections from the compressor to said expansion coil and back to the compressor whereby parts of said liquid may be expanded in said coil to cool the contents of said reservoir, and a return line from the top of said reservoir to the compressor.

9. Apparatus for reclaiming light casing head gasolene in warm weather, comprising in combination, compressing and cooling apparatus tor liquefying the gasolene vapors, a heat insulated storage reservoir for the liquid connected to the outlet of said compressor, an expansion coil associated with said reservoir. valve controlled connections from the compressor to said expansion coil and back to the compressor whereby parts of said liquid may be expanded in said coil to cool thecontents of said reservoir, a return line from the top of said reservoir to the compressor. and a safety valve and a vacuum valve connected to the top of said rese voir.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ARTHUR NEAL KERR. \Vitness:

(i. (l. TnILL. 

